Pakistan are sleeping giants: Woolmer

Bob Woolmer, Pakistan's new coach, has described the team as the "sleeping giants" of cricket and expressed confidence in their potential to beat just about anybody.

"The Pakistan cricket team is a top team of the cricket world which has won the World Cup and other titles and [has] given outstanding performances. Players are sleeping giants and all have the potential to beat any top side of the world," Woolmer told The News.

Woolmer believed that former cricketers had insights to offer, and he would ask them for help. "I have been open-minded and would surely have the point of view of other cricketers, including Javed Miandad, to benefit myself." He added that the players were willing to learn, countering the argument that they blocked out helpful advice.

"It is a wrong perception. What I know about them is that they are fully talented and they are eager to learn. But you have to find the right way to teach them and if I don't find one way, I would try another."

He played down the lack of experience within the side, saying that it would come with age and that the management would advise players on how to deal with situations. But he said that his immediate concern would be fielding and fitness. "The main weaknesses of my team are fielding and fitness and to achieve perfection in these two departments certainly requires some time, but I am confident to overcome them to mould the team into a winning combination."

Was he worried about the frequency with which coaches were changed? Woolmer had his priorities straight. "It's not on my mind," he said. "I don't care what happened in the past, for me the important thing is to concentrate on improving the Pakistani team and I am fully up to that task."